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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · present · kid · march · clip · charge · pass · mouse

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. march — the month
  3. clip — for paper
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. present — the time now
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. present — a gift
  10. clip — a video
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. kid — child
  13. march — the month
  14. present — there
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pass — a permit
  18. charge — electricity
  19. march — music
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. charge — a price
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com